Photographic washing-machine.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

E. W. SCHNEIDER.

PHOTOGRAPHIG WASHING MAGHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG 2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

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No. 747,241. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903. E. W. SCHNEIDER. PHOTOGRAPHIO' WASHING MAGHIN E.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1. 1903.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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EUGENE W. SCHNEIDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO DORTICUS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF OF NEW YORK.

NEl/V YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION PHOTOGRAPHIG WASHING li/lAGHlNIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '74=7,241, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed August 1, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE W. SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county,and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic Washing-Machines,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for wash in g articles which require a periodical renewal of the washing fluid-as, for instance, photographic prints.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine which will automatically renew the supply of Water and other fluid a predetermined number of times and in which the number of Washing operations may be varied at the operators discretion.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter and the novel features pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation upon line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan substantially on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the top of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal section of the wateradmission pipe.

A indicates a water-supply pipe connected with the water-mains or any other source of supply. This pipe leads to the bottomof the Washing-tank B, preferably made with a corrugated inner surface and provided with a perforated false bottom B. The supply-pipe is formed with a ring-section A, disposed below the false bottom or partition B. Along the periphery of the tank B this ring is perforated, the perforations preferably being inclined lengthwise of the pipe, as shown at A in Fig. 6. Owing to this arrangement a circular motion will be imparted to the water discharged into the tank. The false bottom B is formed with a central sleeve B adapted to receive a tube 0, which may be closed at its upper end by a cap D. This tube and cap are employed when the size of the prints to Serial No. 167,818. (No 1.1.5.161.) L

be washed does not exceed about one-half of the tanks diameter. When, however, large prints are to be Washed, the tube C may be removed and the cap D placed directly into the sleeve B In the supply-pipe A is arranged a cock or valve E, which a spring F tends to close. On the spindle of this valve is secured an arm E, adapted to be locked by engagement with a latch-lever G in such a position as to keep the valve E open.

E designatesahandle for opening the valve to start the operation.

The tank B is provided with a side compartment B which contains a siphon-pipe H, through which Water is discharged from the tank periodically, as will be fully described hereinafter. This siphon-pipe is provided at its bend with an opening H, normally closed by a valve I, carried by a lever I, fulcrumod at 1 This lever projects into the path of an arm J, extending from a float J. The float is provided with a rod J suitably guided for vertical movement, as indicated at J It will be understood that as the tank becomes filled with water the float will rise and the valve I will close, so that the siphon will not be started until the levelof the liquid rises above the bend of the siphon. Then as the water is discharged through the siphon the arm J will at the proper time engage the lever I and open the valve I to break the siphon. From that moment on the tank will be refilled, inasmuchas the valve prevents the pawl L from engaging the ratchetwheel. A retaining pawl O, fulcrurned at O to a stationary part of the machine, prevents a backward movement of the ratchet-Wheel. When the iioat J rises, the

toothed wheel K is rotated in a direction coni trolled by the movement of said float, for caustrary to the hands of a watch, and the pawl L will slip over the shield N until it reaches the end of said shield. The pawl will drop into engagement with the ratchet-wheel and will turn the same. The parts are so arranged relatively to each other that only a slight turning movement will be imparted to the ratchet-wheelthat is, the rotation of said ratchet-wheel will occur shortly before the siphon is started. With the ratchet-wheel M is rigidly connected a pointer P, arranged to indicate on a stationary scale Q. Each upward movement of the float J will cause the pointer to advance one space of the graduation. The ratchet-wheel M is provided with an eccentric-pin M, adapted to engage one end of the locking-lever orlatch-lever G, pre-- viously referred to. This lever is fulcrumed at G, and when the ratchet-wheel M has been turned far enough to bring the pin M against the lever G the latter will be turned so as to release the arm E and to allow the spring F to close the inlet-valve E. It will therefore be understood that the number of times the siphon will be operated and the liquid renewed will depend on the position of the pin M relatively to the lever G at the beginning of the operation. This position is readily adjusted by hand by means of the pointer P. The operator simply turns the ratchet-wheel by means of this pointer in the direction allowed by the retaining-pawl O, and thus brings the pin M nearer to or farther from the locking-lever G.

At the time the valve E is closed the operator may be notified of this fact by means of an electric gong R, included in a circuit which is closed by the closing movement of the valve.

In order to prevent an overflowing of the tank in case the siphon for an y reason should fail to work, I have provided a pin K on the toothed wheel K, which pin is adapted to engage and release the locking-lever G as soon as the float J rises beyond its normal travel.

" It will be understood that in the normal operation of the device this pin will not engage the locking-lever. The locking-lever is normally held in its active position by a spring S. To facilitate turning the pointer P, I provide a handle P.

It will be seen that in each case the operation is arrested when the tank is full, so that the prints will remain submerged.

I claim- 1. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a

" siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float ing the said valve to close after the siphon has been operated a predetermined number of times and means for adjusting said mechanism to vary the time at which the valve is closed.

3. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float controlling the operation of the siphon,a valve controlling the inlet-pipe, a spring having a tendency to close said valve,adeviee for latching the valve in the given position, and a latch-releasing mechanism, controlled by the movement of said float, for causing the valve to close after the siphon has been operated a predetermined number of times.

4. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float controlling the operation of the siphon,a valve controlling the inlet-pipe, a spring having a tendency to close said valve,a device for latching said valve in its open position, a latchreleasing mechanism, controlled by the movement of said float, for causing the valve to close after the siphon has been operated a predetermined number of times, and means for adjusting said mechanism to vary the time at which the valve is closed.

5. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float controlling the operation of the siphon,a valve controlling the inlet-pipe, and mechanism, operated by an abnormal rise of said float, for causing said valve to close.

6. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float controlling the operation of the siphon,a valve controlling the inlet-pipe, mechanism operated by the movement of the float, for causing said valve to close, and a signal actuated by the closing of the valve.

7. A tank provided with an inlet-valve, means for periodically withdrawing liquid from the tank while said valve is open, mechanism for closing the valve after a predetermined number of withdrawals, and means for shifting said mechanism to different positions to vary the time at which the valve is closed.

8. A tank provided with means for periodically filling and emptying it, a controlling device for governing the number of successive filling and emptying operations, and means for shifting said controlling device to diiferent positions to vary the number of successive operations.

9. A tank provided with an inlet-pipe, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a float controlling the operation of a siphon, a valve controlling the inlet-pipe, and mechanism,operated by the rise of the float, for causing the valve to close when the tank is full after the siphon has been operated a predetermined number of times.

10. A tank provided with an inlet-valve, a siphon forming an outlet for said tank, a valve located at the bend of the siphon, means, operated by the descent of the float, for opening said siphon-valve, and mechanism, controlled by the movementof the float, for causing the inlet-valve to close after a predetermined number of siphon operations.

11. A tank provided with an inlet-valve, means for periodically withdrawing liquid from the tank while said valve is open, a float, a rack connected therewith, a toothedwheel engaging said rack, a ratchet-Wheel operatively connected with said toothed Wheel to be rotated thereby in one direction only, and mechanism arranged to be operated by said ratchetwheel after a predetermined throw, for causing the said inlet-valve to close.

12. A tank provided with an inlet-valve, means for periodically withdrawing liquid from the tank while said valve is open, a float, a rack connectedtherewith, a toothed wheel engaging said rack, a ratchet-Wheel mounted to rotate about the same axis as said toothed wheel a pawl carried by said toothed Wheel and spring-pressed toward the ratchet-Wheel, a stationary shield surrounding a portion of the ratchet-Wheel to hold the pawl away therefrom, and mechanism arranged to be operated by said ratchet-wheel after a predetermined throw, for causing the said inlet-valve to close.

13. A tank provided at its bottom with an inlet-pipe extending along the edge and having discharge-apertures inclined lengthwise of the pipe.

14. A tank provided at its bottom with an inlet-pipe extending along the edge and having discharge-apertures inclined lengthwise of the pipe and a perforated partition above said pipe.

15. A tank provided with an interior annular inlet-pipe along its bottom edge, and having grooves extending continuously around its inner surface above said inlet-pipe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EUGENE W. SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

LAURA F. SCHNEIDER, EUGENE EBLE. 

